"I salute you, Alliance Lord!"
Ho Ga-Myung bowed deeply to Jang Ilso.
"You're acting like this again."
Jang Ilso waved his hand dismissively.
It really was nothing.
The moment the Black Dragon King was defeated by Mount Hua's Sword Saint, the outcome had already been decided. No, to be precise, it might have been sealed from the moment the Namgung family set out for Plum Blossom Island.
All Jang Ilso did was steer this flow as he wished. So it was only natural that he earned the Black Dragon King's loyalty.
"Now, the pirates will definitely be under the command of the Alliance Lord."
"It took a long time."
Jang Ilso shook his head, sounding fed up.
"It took three years to get my hands on the pirates, the weakest force in the Four Precepts Alliance. It was tedious."
Ho Ga-Myung looked at Jang Ilso with eyes full of respect.
Three years.
It might seem like a long time, but if it took three years to completely absorb those pirates, who would dare belittle that period?
This was an achievement beyond words.
"What about the pirates?"
"They're following without complaint. Even if they have issues, they can't express them in this situation."
"Hmm."
Jang Ilso gazed toward the riverside, where lighted ships embroidered the Yangtze River.
"About two or three…"
"…Uh?"
"Catch two or three people with good positions and make an example of them. Somewhere, everyone can clearly see."
Ho Ga-Myung hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Right now, there's no one who has committed a crime worth…"
"Tsk, tsk, Ga-Myung, Ga-Myung. Why are you always so honest?"
"…"
"It doesn't matter whether there's a criminal or not. What matters is that there has to be an example."
"Yes, Alliance Lord."
"It's foolish to solve a problem only after it occurs. Truly smart people don't give themselves room for problems to arise. That's how people are. When someone does something different, others tend to feel the urge to do the same. Once a rebellious spirit is ingrained, it can be suppressed, but won't disappear."
"…"
The best thing is."
Jang Ilso slowly ran his lean fingers down his lips.
"To prevent them from even having a rebellious spirit. To do that, we need to scare them rightfully. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Alliance Lord. I will kill a few people who can serve as examples and hang them on the sails."
But Jang Ilso sighed deeply again.
"Ga-Myung…"
"Yes?"
Ho Ga-Myung looked puzzled. Jang Ilso shook his head.
"When did I tell you to kill them? I'm not that horrible a person."
"Then…"
"We need to save them."
Jang Ilso spoke calmly.
"Hang them alive. It would be better if their skin were peeled. Let everyone clearly see them suffer for days, neither alive nor dead."
Ho Ga-Myung's eyes widened slightly.
"Dig out their flesh here and there, sprinkle some salt on it, and make them swarm with bugs. Every time they fall asleep with groans of dying songs, they should feel like they absolutely do not want to die like that. They should think they'd rather have their throat cut, sink to the bottom of the river, and become fish food than die like this."
The peaceful and calm voice, as if talking about everyday life, strangely felt several times more cruel than an ominous tone.
"There are many ways to gain loyalty, Ga-Myung. But right now, there's nothing we need more than fear. Since they obeyed even a fool like the Black Dragon King without question, it's enough to show them stronger power and crueler hands."
"…I will do so."
Jang Ilso quietly smiled at the simple answer.
"Right, then that will do."
Ho Ga-Myung swallowed hard.
Actually, Jang Ilso's methods weren't particularly cruel. It wasn't a bad thing in the Evil Sect to brutally kill an enemy.
The problem was that these were now Jang Ilso's subordinates, whom he would rule.
"Alliance Lord, may I ask you something?"
"Hmm?"
"…What do you plan to do with the Black Dragon King?"
"Why ask about the Black Dragon King?"
"Do you plan on keeping him alive?"
"Hmm."
Jang Ilso looked at Ho Ga-Myung as if amused.
"What do you think?"
"I think it would be better to kill him. A man like the Black Dragon King will never be truly loyal to others. He's a man who will show his teeth to the Alliance Lord at any time."
"An untamable wolf then?"
"I don't know if 'wolf' fits that bear-like man, but in any case, he will never be tamed."
"Ga-Myung."
"Yes."
"Do you know how to tame an untamable wolf?"
"…I don't know."
"Just pull out the teeth."
Jang Ilso said calmly.
"Pull out the teeth, pull out the claws, and if he still won't listen, cut off the legs."
"…"
"Then, even if he can't be as loyal as a dog, at least he won't bite or scratch me, right? Then he'll be no different from a dog."
"But what's the point of being the Black Dragon King if he ends up like that?"
"Tsk, tsk, Ga-Myung."
"Yes, Alliance Lord."
"The important thing is that I subdued the wolf and am using it."
"…"
"It doesn't matter whether the wolf has sharp teeth or lethal claws. What matters is that the wolf who didn't listen to anyone is trapped in my cage, leashed, and submitting, right?"
"…I understand what you mean."
"Anyone can kill the Black Dragon King and take the pirates. But that's just the appearance of a new Black Dragon King. It's different from putting the entire pirates under your feet. That's something not just anyone could do."
Jang Ilso's gaze shifted to the side, not toward the Yangtze River, but toward the vast lands of the Southern Lands.
"Even if others don't know, at least two of you will understand the meaning. That's enough for now."
Jang Ilso smiled seductively.
Obtaining the pirates meant Jang Ilso had acquired at least half the power of the Four Precepts Alliance.
Originally, Jang Ilso was the leader of the Four Precepts Alliance, but if two or more of the remaining clans joined forces against him, he would have no way to deal with them. However, from this moment on, Jang Ilso had the power to fight the entire Four Precepts Alliance.
"It's a shame I couldn't repay him for what I got, but I think I've made quite a profit."
Jang Ilso mumbled as if talking to himself, and Ho Ga-Myung carefully opened his mouth as he watched him laugh.
"Alliance Lord."
"Uh?"
"Then from now on…"
"Just leave it alone."
"…Really?"
"Yes."
Jang Ilso reached out, picked up a bottle of alcohol, took a sip, and stared blankly across the river.
"There are things in the world that require time. Let's just wait for those pirate people to accept me. The presence of the enemy on the other side will make that possible."
"… Wouldn't Shaolin be the first to pull away, though?"
"As if they can."
Jang Ilso waved his hand.
"Shaolin is now facing the worst situation. If they back down like this, they can no longer prevent their fall. Listen carefully, Ga-Myung. The world doesn't revolve around power alone. No matter how strong Shaolin is, once a name is lost, it won't come back easily."
"But being here doesn't necessarily mean they will gain anything."
"Instead, war clouds will start to gather."
"…War clouds?"
Jang Ilso looked at Ho Ga-Myung with a strange smile.
"Why did I sign a three-year treaty during the previous Yangtze River massacre?"
"Because you needed time to control the inside of the Four Precepts Alliance."
"Right. That's true. But more importantly, it was to cut off their power."
"Power, you mean…"
"No matter how much those people dislike each other, they have no choice but to unite when war breaks out. For example, don't those who are plotting to kill each other in the palace unite when an enemy invades?"
"Yes."
"If we had planted all kinds of seeds and conflicts and acted as if we were going to invade the Northern Lands, what would they have done?"
"They would have buried their grudges and tried to deal with us first."
Jang Ilso nodded, pleased with the answer.
"Right. That would have been meaningless. That's why I gave them enough time to fight each other."
"…"
"It's the same this time. If we back down now, all the responsibility will fall on Shaolin. That old man doesn't want that to happen. That's why he's shouting over there right now."
Jang Ilso spread his arms wide.
"War will break out soon! The moment this treaty ends, blood will start to flow and flow again! So now is not the time to blame anyone!"
"Certainly…"
"He is a treacherous old man."
Jang Ilso shook his head.
"But… that treachery is also helpful to us. There's nothing wrong with the clouds of war gathering. I will get the same benefits that Shaolin gets. In the meantime, I will steadily secure the pirates and suppress any complaints that might arise behind."
Ho Ga-Myung stared across the river with a new look.
So strange.
As far as he knew, Jang Ilso and Shaolin had never communicated since Mount Hua withdrew from Plum Blossom Island.
Nevertheless, they were doing things that benefited both sides as if they had planned it. Jang Ilso was deploying the pirates ahead to give Shaolin something to say, and Shaolin was not leaving the riverside, buying time for Jang Ilso to fully take over the pirates.
'Maybe this is the true collusion.'
With no need for conversation or documents, they were implicitly moving in a direction that benefited both sides.
Considering the meaning of the word collusion, could there be a situation more fitting than this?
"In the end, if you just buy time, everything will go as we planned."
"…I hope so."
However, unexpectedly, Jang Ilso stroked his chin with a slightly ambiguous expression.
"It was dangerous. It was close. If I had made one mistake, I could have lost my head."
Although he wasn't specifically referring to a certain place, Ho Ga-Myung couldn't help but know where Jang Ilso was talking about.
"If there's a variable, it would be Mount Hua. You never know what they will do. Especially that…"
Jang Ilso suddenly stopped talking.
He could somehow handle the one variable called Chung Myung. Just think of the worst-case scenario you can imagine. Chung Myung would surely follow that path.
But…
'Hyun Jong.'
He couldn't figure out where that old man was headed. He couldn't understand his way of thinking at all.
'That man is not sane.'
He could understand going after profit, and he could understand pursuing righteousness.
But how could someone who values his sect more than the law and at the same time demands sacrifices from the sect for others?
Where in the world can one find such an insane person?
"I don't know. If the day comes when my neck falls off… it will be because of those damned bastards."
"That will never happen."
"Right. That must be it."
A chilling killing intent flashed through Jang Ilso's eyes as he stared across the river.
'Not yet… no. Not yet.'
But that day would come.
The day when the entire Mount Hua would be stained with blood on his hands.
Jang Ilso's tongue slowly brushed his red lips. It seemed as if the taste of blood lingered there.