"Huhu."
"…"
"Huhuhu."
"…"
"Hahaha. Hahahah. Uhahahahahahah!"
"…"
Jo Gul, who had been quietly observing Im So-Byeong's continuous bursts of laughter, finally spoke softly.
"Sahyung."
"What?"
"Why is he acting like that?"
"… He must be feeling happy."
"That much?"
Jo Gul looked at Im So-Byeong with a puzzled expression.
No, he understood it was a good thing… but wasn't this a bit much?
Yet, Im So-Byeong kept laughing uncontrollably. A man who was usually so sickly and weak that he hardly seemed like the Green Forest King, but seeing him look up at the sky and erupt with laughter made those memories vanish.
Meanwhile…
"Why is he acting like that again?"
"… What?"
"T-that man."
Yoon Jong's gaze shifted to the opposite side of the Green Forest King. There, he saw Chung Myung looking gloomier than ever before. So gloomy that one could almost imagine dark clouds gathering above his head.
Im So-Byeong laughed loudly at him, who was crouched in a corner, drawing something in the dirt with a stick. The way he waved the pledge in his hand as if flaunting it, was like a victor waving a flag at a defeated opponent.
"Uhahahahahahaha!"
Yoon Jong shook his head repeatedly as he watched Chung Myung digging into the ground and Im So-Byeong blowing his triumphant horn.
"Such a mess."
"Right."
At that moment, Baek Cheon smiled and approached Im So-Byeong.
"Congratulations."
"Ah! Taoist Baek Cheon! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"… Do you like it that much?"
Im So-Byeong opened his fan.
"The harsh years, humiliation, and pain I endured just to join the Heavenly Friends Alliance!"
"…"
"How could I not feel good when I'm being compensated for all that at once? Now, our Green Forest is a proud member of the Heavenly Friends Alliance."
"… We decided to announce it later, though…"
"That's not important. What matters is that we finally have a shield."
"A shield, you say?"
Im So-Byeong smiled meaningfully at Baek Cheon's question.
"Think about it, Taoist Baek Cheon. If the Green Forest hadn't allied with Mount Hua in this situation, what would have happened?"
"Uh? Well…"
Baek Cheon thought for a moment and nodded, understanding Im So-Byeong's point.
"It would have been dangerous, for sure."
"Right. Right. Right now, the relationship between the Justice faction and the Evil Sects is at its worst. On top of that, the Nine Great Sects have been humiliated by the Four Precepts Alliance, so they need a way to restore their honor. In this situation, if Green Forest didn't belong to the Heavenly Friends Alliance, Shaolin—who had been scorned—would turn to us, who have no allies, and destroy us."
This wasn't just about Shaolin.
There were more than one or two sects in the Justice faction eager to restore their honor.
"Other sects can simply go down to the Southern lands and join the Four Precepts Alliance, but that's impossible for Green Forest. Isn't Green Forest a sect that must survive in the mountains? And most of the mountains in the central plains are concentrated in the north."
"Right."
That meant that among the large sects of the central plains, Green Forest was the only one operating in the Southern lands as well, but its influence there was less than a third of its whole force.
"So, Green Forest has two choices: either abandon all the strongholds we've nurtured in the Northern lands and move to the Southern lands to bow to the Four Sects Alliance, or cut off the branch in the Southern lands and survive in the Northern lands under the Nine Sects."
Baek Cheon shook his head.
"The second option would be hard to endure."
"Yes, that's right. No matter how strong Green Forest is, it would only be so behind the care of the Nine Sects. If they decide to attack us, it wouldn't even take them a month to dry up the entire mountain of us."
"…"
"Any other methods would be the same. How can we bow our heads to Jang Ilso when we're born human? Especially to that devil!"
"…"
It's well known that Jang Ilso and Im So-Byeong were enemies. Objectively, it seemed more like Im So-Byeong, who was beaten unilaterally, was nursing a grudge on his own.
"But!"
Clang!
This time, what was spread out was not a fan but a pledge bearing Hyun Jong's signature.
"Now we are proud members of the Heavenly Friends Alliance! No matter how great the Nine Sects are, they cannot touch us, who are now members of the Heavenly Friends Alliance!"
"…"
Tears suddenly welled up in Im So-Byeong's eyes as he spoke aloud. Baek Cheon asked in confusion.
"W-why are you crying?"
"No, Taoist Baek Cheon. I suddenly felt sadness…"
"Uh? Sadness?"
"Yes!"
He looked into the distance with wet eyes and said,
"Those harsh times… the devil outside trying to exploit us again, and the idiots inside nagging me about why we had to be servants to the Justice faction…! The elders kept spouting nonsense about how our ancestors wouldn't be happy with it! That I was not worthy of being the Green Forest King! That Green Forest had become corrupted in its values!"
"… You had such hard times."
"No, no! All those hardships are over now! I'm so curious to see the expressions on their faces if I shove this pledge in their faces now! Hahahahaha! I will bury them alive where our ancestors are buried. Those damned old farts!"
Baek Cheon wiped the cold sweat and took a couple of steps back.
The reaction was so intense it felt overwhelming to witness, but he liked it…
Meanwhile, Baek Cheon looked at Im So-Byeong again.
'On the other hand… he is an amazing person.'
That meant Im So-Byeong had a premonition that something like this would happen someday since he first met Chung Myung. At that time, he chose Mount Hua as the sect that could become a shelter for Green Forest.
If Im So-Byeong's choice had been even a little late or wrong, Green Forest's situation would have been far more precarious than it is now.
Although he seemed like a strange person, Baek Cheon once again realized that Im So-Byeong had made the best choice as the leader of Green Forest.
On the other hand…
Baek Cheon turned his eyes to the other side. There, Chung Myung, leaning against a tree stump and blankly staring up at the sky, came into view.
He looked so sad that he couldn't even speak. To the point that Baek Cheon pitied that devil.
"… Chung Myung?"
"…"
"Um… Chung Myung?"
After calling him twice, Chung Myung's head turned weakly toward Baek Cheon.
"Sasuk…"
"R-right, Chung Myung. Are you okay?"
Baek Cheon swallowed hard.
"I…"
"Uh?"
"… What kind of wealth and honor will I enjoy…"
"…"
Chung Myung's eyes were wet with tears.
"The day will come when I will be forced to eat from the same pot as Evil Sect bastards. I would rather raise maggots than do that. No matter how much we do it for survival, how could this…"
"C-Calm down."
"The sect leader is too much! No matter how much his conscience pricks him, he cannot do that! He is accepting the Evil Sect bastards now. And not just one or two, but those rabble-rousing bandits… oh my. Ugh. What is going to happen to Mount Hua now? Oh my, I might be dying. Mount Hua is ruined. Mount Hua is ruined…"
Baek Cheon was so shocked that he broke into a cold sweat.
He had seen Chung Myung curse often enough that it wasn't new or shocking anymore. But this was the first time he had seen Chung Myung so sad and desperate.
"I should die, I should just die. I should bite down on my tongue and die. What kind of sight will I see if I end up living so long…"
"You're still young, you insane bastard! What are you talking about like an old man who's lived all his life!"
Chaos was creeping in.
Jo Gul, watching the scene, asked as if shocked.
"… I guess it must have been quite a shock to be eating from the same pot as the Evil Sect."
"He is an Evil Sect warrior, too."
He was already someone who didn't even treat people like the Evil Sect, but recently, thanks to Jang Ilso's appearance, his symptoms had worsened several times over.
Even if it was just Im So-Byeong's case, it would be enough to be called a moderate-level Evil Sect, but if he reacted like that, it's hard to imagine how much people like Jang Ilso and the Black Dragon King hated him.
"Just to appease him."
"Can't we just leave him alone?"
"I'm afraid that if that guy keeps doing that, he'll end up saying something like, 'The justice of Mount Hua is done. In that case, I will drive out the sect leader and become sect leader to restore Mount Hua's spirit.'"
"… First, I'll put some sugar in his mouth."
It wasn't likely, but the tragedy that would follow was too scary to ignore.
If Chung Myung was Mount Hua's sect leader.
That's not just Mount Hua—it's a disaster that would span the entire Central Plains. We must stop it for the sake of peace in the Central Plains and for the peace of the Nine Counties and Eight Commanderies beyond!
But most of Mount Hua's disciples were busy watching the strange sight with strange smiles.
It was understandable since the fact that Green Forest joined the Heavenly Friends Alliance didn't really excite them. Their feelings of resistance had largely vanished after seeing Green Forest for so long.
So they were just happy that the one and only one in the world got a big blow.
'That bastard is finally getting hit.'
'Now that sect leader has full strength, we'll be a bit more comfortable.'
'They say even a mouse hole gets sunlight at times!'
At that moment, Tang Soso laughed and said,
"That's why I told you to be more considerate, Sahyung. You were giving them a hard time because of your annoying nature! Hohohoho!"
"… Is it fun?"
"Hohoho!"
"Fun."
"Ho… hoho."
Tang Soso's face, which had been laughing like a villain, gradually hardened and turned pale. Chung Myung, who had been despairing, slowly stood up.
He opened his mouth and spoke softly.
"Sasuk."
"… Uh?"
Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung anxiously.
"I thought about this."
"… Okay."
"I think there's just one reason this disaster happened."
"What?"
"Because we are weak."
"…"
Uh? Just two days ago, they had crossed the Yangtze River in one push, destroyed the pirates, and rescued Namgung?
But they were weak?
Baek Cheon's eyes began to tremble.
"Chung Myung… I think that's the wrong conclusion."
"No, I'm right."
Chung Myung said firmly.
"If you think about it, it's simple. If we could just destroy all the Evil Sects and Nine Sects, wouldn't we have nothing to do with those Evil Sect bastards?"
"If one sect could do all that, would it be Mount Hua? It would be the Demonic Cult."
"N-No!"
"Uh?"
Baek Cheon was momentarily bewildered by the screams he heard from the side, then covered his mouth without realizing it.
He realized his mistake.
"… Demonic Cult?"
"…"
"Demonic Cultttt?"
As expected, Chung Myung's eyes began to sparkle with madness. Everyone who saw those eyes glared at Baek Cheon as if they wanted to kill him.
'T-that guy. Even if he wanted to speak!'
'You know that brat is going to throw a fit at the mention of Demonic Cult!'
'We should tie his mouth!'
Baek Cheon, receiving resentful glares, turned his head slightly and looked at the distant sky. Chung Myung muttered gloomily.
"Right. Demonic Cult. True. We need to defeat the Demonic Cult. Then we won't have time to play around like this."
Chung Myung, whose eyes had completely turned white, grabbed his Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword.
Baek Cheon hurriedly looked around. He was about to tell Im So-Byeong, who had started all this, to stop it.
But…
"W-where did that man go?"
"The Green Forest King? At the mention of Demonic Cult, he turned into a rabbit and ran?"
"…"
Ah. That was how one had to live their life… He learned something new today.
Srrng.
Chung Myung, who had drawn his sword, smiled and looked at everyone.
"Now."
"…"
"Fun training time."
The blood drained from everyone's faces.