Thus, the Tang family was immersed in a very somber atmosphere. One loss could be excused as a mistake, but a losing streak left no room for excuses.
And the shock only deepened with time. When they lost, it was chaotic and painful, so they let it slide, but the more they thought about it, the more bitter it felt.
After the young family lord of Tang Family summoned all the influential figures from the Tang family, this atmosphere became even more serious. The situation clearly showed they were taking this defeat gravely.
However… within the estate where the Tang family resides, the worst atmosphere was not in Tang family but in the Namgung Family.
Namgung Do-Wei's cheeks twitched incessantly.
Seeing his face, Namgung Dan bowed his head deeply, careful not to meet his eyes.
Whose son was Namgung Do-Wei?
He was none other than the son of Namgung Hwang. Of course, being parent and child doesn't guarantee identical traits, but generally, they resemble each other to some extent.
Namgung Dan knew that while Namgung Do-Wei was usually sensible enough not to remind one of Namgung Hwang, when his eyes went wild, he could be even more reckless than Namgung Hwang in some ways.
So at times like this, one must bow their head as if saying "I'm dead." Unless they want to be utterly shattered beyond repair.
'He is very angry.'
Indeed, it was understandable.
Namgung Do-Wei had given up a lot upon joining the Heavenly Friends Alliance.
Pride in his family, his own self-esteem. Moreover, he relinquished much of the family's accumulated wealth and even their external honor.
But even for Namgung Do-Wei, there was something he could never let go of…
"It's not just anyone…"
"…"
"To the Evil Sect…"
Namgung Do-Wei's eyes twitched. Seeing that expression, everyone bowed their heads deeply.
"If my father in the afterlife saw this…"
Just imagining it made their bodies tremble uncontrollably. They pictured Namgung Hwang, eyes wild, sword in hand, charging forward.
If the real Namgung Hwang saw this, he would have descended to this world to behead the Flame King. Whether that was possible or not was another matter.
Namgung Do-Wei now trembled to his fingertips. The shock was immense.
"How did the Namgung Family…"
"Y-young lord! Please don't blame yourself too much! This is not your fault!"
"Yes, Young lord! This is all due to our weakness!"
"Sob. I'm sorry."
It was like a house of mourning. This was not just Namgung Do-Wei's issue.
Of course, Green Forest was no ordinary Evil Sect, and among them, Green Forest Bandits, composed of the elite, was not to be underestimated. For the Namgung Family, having lost half their strength, it might have been too much to handle.
But that was just a practical explanation. The Namgung Family had grown up hearing like a lullaby that they must never lose to the Evil Sect. Their high pride was inevitably wounded.
"No, no. This is all my fault."
"Young lord, that's not true."
"If it were not me but my father leading you, would we have suffered such a crushing defeat?"
Everyone fell silent instantly.
"It's not just about swordsmanship. Even if my father's martial prowess was only as good as mine and he had to lead you with this strength, if he had led the Namgung, we wouldn't have lost to Green Forest."
They couldn't agree or disagree because agreeing would disrespect Namgung Do-Wei, and disagreeing would belittle Namgung Hwang. Neither option was acceptable, so they remained silent.
"Yes. I am lacking now. Namgung is lacking. But…"
Bloodshot veins appeared in Namgung Do-Wei's eyes.
"We will not just endure this. I will make sure they know exactly what the Namgung Family is, and restore Namgung's honor!"
"Yes, Young lord!"
"You can do it!"
Seeing his cheering retainers, Namgung Do-Wei nodded firmly.
"But…"
"Yes?"
As Namgung Do-Wei's expression subtly changed, the retainers flinched.
"This isn't something I can do alone, is it?"
His voice was oddly curt.
"Right?"
"…Y… Yes?"
"I'm not blaming you, but I think everyone's skills are a bit, just a bit lacking."
"…"
"If skills are lacking, shouldn't training be increased?"
"More training at this point?"
They're already training to the point of death? And that's not enough?
"No, no."
Namgung Do-Wei shook his head vigorously.
"I'm not saying you're all lazy. But considering we can't even beat those Evil Sect guys, shouldn't we try a bit harder?"
"…"
"What do you think?"
"…"
"Hmm?"
"Well…"
Namgung Dan awkwardly spoke and glanced back. Everyone had resigned expressions and closed their eyes.
'Damn…'
Well, with Namgung Hwang's name mentioned, how could anyone resist?
"Do as you wish."
"Thank you!"
Namgung Do-Wei sprang up from his seat.
"Since we're talking about it, let's go train right now!"
"Uh? R-right now?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"No… but the injuries from today are still…"
At that, everyone subtly nodded and timidly agreed.
"My joints ache…"
"My arms are numb…"
As everyone avoided his gaze, Namgung Do-Wei stared at them, then turned his head. His face looking at the night sky outside was sorrowful.
"Father must be watching us…"
"…"
"The previous family lord who died screaming at the Yangtze River longs for us to restore Namgung's glory…"
"Ah, damn it! What are you guys doing! Let's go! Let's train!"
"…"
"Ugh…"
Watching them go out like cattle being led to slaughter, Namgung Do-Wei smiled contentedly.
"Sincerity always gets through."
Thus, another person was falling.
"Hahaha! Green Forest King! Did you see their faces?"
"They bragged about being a prestigious family! Hahaha!"
"Ah, all the pent-up frustration of ten years is gone!"
The morale of the Green Forest warriors soared to the sky.
Originally, the Namgung Family was like a natural enemy to them. How many Green Forest warriors had suffered at the hands of those damn Namgung clan?
Of course, fundamentally it was Green Forest's fault, but right or wrong aside, it was satisfying.
Just flattening the noses of the Justice faction was enough to get drunk without a drop of alcohol, and since that Justice faction was none other than the Namgung Family, Green Forest warriors couldn't feel better.
"They're nothing special!"
"I told you if I fought properly, I'd smash them all!"
"Hehe. Even if Namgung Hwang were alive, this would be worth trying."
Just as they began to indulge in delusions beyond reality, the sound of a folding fan snapping was heard from somewhere.
The Green Forest warriors suddenly fell silent as a mouse, glancing at Im So-Byeong's expression. His face was noticeably stiff.
"Good?"
"…"
"Are you happy, you bastards?"
Instead of the awkward and hesitant Green Forest warriors, Beon Chung quietly stepped forward.
"Why are you so upset? We stomped the Namgung Family into silence."
"Stomped?"
Im So-Byeong snorted.
"Is this the face of those who stomped, or those who were stomped?"
At that, some faces flushed red.
They were happily celebrating, but their faces told a different story. They were swollen all over from the fierce struggle.
"Idiots. Fighting desperately against greenhouse flowers and barely winning, yet acting so proud."
"B-but a win is a win…"
"…What?"
Im So-Byeong's eyes narrowed, and Beon Chung quickly shrank his thick neck.
"Tsk tsk."
Im So-Byeong showed his discomfort openly and clicked his tongue.
'We almost lost.'
The reason they won today was simple: the Namgung Family's strength was less than half of what it was before, and Im So-Byeong himself commanded Green Forest.
Conversely, if Im So-Byeong hadn't led, they might have lost even against the half-dead Namgung Family.
'This is a problem.'
Im So-Byeong groaned.
Green Forest was never a sect led by a few strong individuals. Their power came from overwhelming numbers. So depending on perspective, this result might not be disappointing.
But Im So-Byeong knew this was just an excuse. And this was why Green Forest, despite being the oldest Evil Sect historically, had never had a leader of the Evil Sect.
"As it stands, it's hard for us to handle even the Namgung Family. That means against other sects of the Four Sects Alliance, we'd be utterly destroyed."
"What nonsense! When all our brothers in the world gather, there's no sect we can't face!"
"…Gather?"
Im So-Byeong glared at Beon Chung as if to say, "What nonsense?"
"So have they ever gathered in one place?"
"…Well…"
"How can you gather those spread all over Central Plains? It would take over a month just for the message to reach them."
Beon Chung closed his mouth.
He was right. Green Forest influenced mountains across the land, but being so widespread, coordinated movement was nearly impossible for them
"And even if the order is delivered, would they really abandon their mountain bases and all rush here on my command?"
"Of course! It's the Green Forest King's order!"
"Really?"
"…"
"Really?"
"…Well… leaving the mountain bases too empty could cause problems."
"Eh."
Im So-Byeong sighed deeply.
Before joining the Heavenly Friends Alliance, he had no capacity to manage all this. Just hiding and engaging in guerrilla tactics against Jang Ilso, who was constantly hunting him, drained all his energy. No matter how brilliant his strategy, there were limits.
Now that he had just solved one problem by joining the Heavenly Friends Alliance, another huge problem emerged.
"First… realistically speaking, Green Forest is by no means weak."
"Of course."
"But at the same time, we are incredibly weak. They have overwhelming forces, but the actual usable strength is ridiculously weak."
"…"
"And even if gathered, it's just a large number of people, useless in local battles. In war, all they can do is use their numbers for supply lines."
Im So-Byeong muttered and looked around at everyone.
"What do you think?"
"What?"
"If there's a problem, it must be solved. Right?"
"…That's true, but…"
"Fortunately, I know how to solve this. Not implementing the solution despite knowing it would be a fool's act."
"Um…"
Beon Chung quietly asked.
"Sorry, but may I ask what that solution is?"
At that, Im So-Byeong nodded as if pleased they asked.
"It's simple. First, strengthen the core forces. If Green Forest Bandits grows stronger, its influence will increase, and so will my influence over Green Forest. Eventually, the entire Green Forest will become more agile."
Beon Chung asked with a puzzled face.
"Isn't that what we've been doing till now? That's why the Green Forest King…"
"No."
Im So-Byeong shook his fingers left and right.
"I thought we were, but we weren't. Being born in the Evil Sect, I assumed training was something everyone did on their own."
"…"
"But seeing how Mount Hua does it, I realized this is a new thing. They do it like that, so why haven't we tried it?"
"Th-that's we have our way…"
"Ah, no need to worry. What I decide is our way. Isn't that right?"
"…"
"And in my view… Mount Hua's method is a bit weak."
"What?"
The Green Forest warriors gaped and stared blankly at Im So-Byeong, their eyes full of disbelief.
"If you want to train like real combat, you have to do it like real combat. The Justice faction pretends because their warriors are weak and afraid someone might die."
"…"
"If a person is truly determined, they must accept sacrifice. Isn't that right?"
"…"
"Hehehe. I never thought I'd compete in strategy with Mount Hua's Sword Saint like this. I'll show you properly what the Evil Sect's way is."
The Green Forest warriors' faces began to darken.
The next morning.
"Sigh."
Hyun Jong let out a deep sigh.
Considering his situation, it would be strange if he had no worries, but even so, Hyun Jong's expression was unusually dark today.
"It shouldn't have come to this…"
In fact, they did not intend to settle at the Yangtze River.
Originally, they planned to rescue the refugees and then return to Shaanxi.
But suddenly, the Demonic Cult appeared, complicating matters and forcing them to stay here.
Of course, Hyun Jong did not view this situation entirely negatively.
Since the Heavenly Friends Alliance, including the alliance, stayed together, he thought it was the best opportunity to build camaraderie.
Yes. For camaraderie… for camaraderie.
However.
"How on earth…"
Instead of building camaraderie, the rift between them seemed to deepen.
From Hyun Jong's perspective, leader of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, it was a situation so frustrating it felt like his insides were rotting.
"Ugh."
Hyun Jong shook his head hard, recalling Chung Myung's chuckling face.
That guy wouldn't act without thought, but surely this ongoing situation was not good.
"This won't do."
He had to intervene at the right moment before the guy rampaged further.
Deciding to personally observe today's training, Hyun Jong quickly moved toward the training ground.
Since Chung Myung hadn't appeared yet, if he took a seat first and kept an eye during training, the situation might improve a bit.
But Hyun Jong's expectations shattered the moment he arrived at the training ground.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Hey, you Evil Sect bastard!"
"You damn poisoners!"
"You're the biggest problem! You Mount Hua demons!"
"…"
Hyun Jong stared blankly at the chaotic scene of the training ground.
There were no longer allies or enemies.
Mount Hua. Tang Family. Namgung Family. Green Forest.
Each sect, powerful enough to represent the world, was tangled up and fighting recklessly.
"Uh…"
Hyun Jong's mouth dropped open.
"Dieeeee!"
Seeing Tang Soso's graceful Hwa Swift Kick strike her brother's jaw away, Hyun Jong involuntarily closed his eyes tightly.
This was the endless hell. This place.
"Wow. They've already started on their own."
"…"
Hyun Jong slowly turned his head and looked at Chung Myung strolling over.
"I didn't even order it. But well done. Hoo. This is the reward of teaching! Reward!"
"…"
It seemed.
The Heavenly Friends Alliance was ruined.