It’s nothing short of a dogfight. (2)
“Hehehehehe.”
“…”
“Hehehehehehehe.”
“…”
Jo Geol and Yoon Jong glanced at Baek Cheon with faces full of anxiety.
“Sa… Sasuk.”
“……What?”
“Wh-What’s wrong with that(?) over there?”
“…”
At this, Baek Cheon glanced at ‘that’ with a look that suggested it was utterly meaningless.
Something that he really didn’t want to refer to as a person was holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and a letter in the other, laughing like a demon. And it had been doing so for quite some time.
“Geol-ah, Jong-ah.”
“……Yes, Sasuk.”
“Why is he acting like this all of a sudden……?”
“Ah, no. I understand that that bastard being out of his mind isn’t something that started just today.”
“But isn’t it worse than usual today? Sasuk, just look at that.”
Baek Cheon flinched as he looked at where Yoon Jong was pointing.
Baek Ah, who normally wouldn’t stray far from Chung Myung’s side, was quietly sneaking away from a distance, carefully gauging the situation.
‘Seeing that little white one trembling, it’s kind of cute.’
…Ah, that’s not the point.
You mustn’t be deceived by its appearance. That creature could even slap a tiger across the ear. And that’s not even mentioning its personality…
Baek Cheon turned his gaze to Chung Myung.
It was clear, even from his perspective, that Chung Myung’s condition was exceptionally bad today. It was to the point where there seemed to be an illusion of an Asura’s image rising behind him like an afterimage.
Isn’t it quite impressive that a person could be so cheerful yet emit such a sinister aura?
“Khehehehe…”
At that moment, with a look of a swindler who had just pulled off a big con, Chung Myung muttered to himself.
“These bastards trying to screw me over? They’ve got a hundred years to go, these little runts!”
Hearing this, Baek Cheon shook his head. Although Chung Myung wouldn’t hear him, there was something he really wanted to say.
‘Chung Myung-ah…’
The ones you’re up against aren’t small fries who would take kindly to being called that… How unjust would those small fries feel hearing that?
“Hehehehehe! Uhihihi! Uhehehehehe!”
“……He’s lost it.”
“Yeah. Seems like it.”
“Not just ordinarily lost it, either.”
Chung Myung happily shoved the bottle of liquor to his mouth. The sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down was refreshing enough to bring relief to all those watching.
“…Why on earth is he acting like that?”
Baek Cheon spoke with a soft, warm smile.
“You still don’t quite understand that guy yet.”
“…Yes?”
“There are only two situations in which that scoundrel shows such genuine delight.”
“W-What are they?”
“Either when he’s made a huge amount of money, or when he’s screwed someone over big time.”
“…”
“Judging by that smile on his face, it looks like it’s the latter this time….”
Jo Geol and Yoon Jong’s eyes began to tremble.
Since Baek Cheon, one of the top talents of Chung Myung Studies, said so, it must be true.
Then…
“Gupailbang?”
“The Five Great Families?”
“Jang Ilso? Sapaeryeon?”
“N-No, could it be Jongnam?”
As they listed the names that came to mind one after another, they suddenly realized something.
There were just too many people in the world that Chung Myung wanted to screw over.
‘No, at this point, isn’t everyone in the world except for Cheonumaeng his enemy?’
Shouldn’t they seriously start considering who’s really to blame for all this?
“Hmmmmm! The weather is so damn fineeeee!”
Rumble!
…It’s raining, you lunatic.
But whether anyone cared or not, Chung Myung continued to laugh cheerfully, his shoulders shaking with glee.
“Hehehehe. They can all die! All of them! Uhehehehehe!”
Words that should never come out of a Taoist’s mouth flowed out as naturally as breathing.
If that’s a Taoist, then even a worm can be a dragon.
“What’s got you in such a good mood?”
Eventually, Baek Cheon cautiously approached and asked. Chung Myung quickly turned his head.
“Oh, Sasuk! Want a drink?”
“Is there anyone else at Hwasan besides you who drinks in broad daylight?”
“No, there isn’t, but from today, Sasuk could start.”
“…I’ll pass.”
Baek Cheon shook his head and asked again.
“So, what happened?”
“Oh, it’s nothing much. Just, you know….”
“Yeah.”
“It looks like the bastards from Gupailbang and the Five Great Families are going to clash with Sapaeryeon.”
“Oh, I see. Then that’s fi-… What, what did you just say, you bastard?”
Baek Cheon’s eyes widened as he grabbed Chung Myung by the collar.
“Wh-Who is clashing with whom?”
“Gupailbang and Sapaeryeon.”
“A war?”
“Yeah, a war.”
Baek Cheon’s face turned pale in an instant.
“Hey, you bastard! If that’s no big deal, then Hwasan collapsing must be no big deal either!”
“Come on. I’m telling you, it’s nothing serious. It has nothing to do with us.”
“How could it have nothing to do with us, you crazy fool!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Chung Myung reached out and patted Baek Cheon on the back with a loud slap.
“Our Dongryong is so timid. We just have to sit back and enjoy the show. Haha!”
Baek Cheon, having let go of Chung Myung’s collar, covered his face with his hands.
‘Oh, Primeval Lord of Heaven.’
I truly don’t understand. Why did you give such talent to someone like him… Why…
At that moment, as if struck by a sudden thought, Chung Myung smacked his palm with his fist.
“Ah, first we need to send a letter to the Ice Palace and to the Beast Palace.”
“To the Beast Palace and the Ice Palace?”
“Yeah.”
Baek Cheon, who had been suffering in silence, suddenly lifted his head with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
‘Of course, even if this bastard talks recklessly, he wouldn’t just take this situation lightly. He must be planning to request reinforcements in advance…’
“I can’t be the only one to know this wonderful news! They say joy is doubled when shared, right? We all need to laugh together! Hahaha! After all, we’re friends!”
The looming dark clouds were slowly thickening. With a sorrowful look, Baek Cheon gazed up at the sky as Yoon Jong, who had approached at some point, lightly tapped him on his shoulder.
“Please don’t cry, Sasuk.”
“I’m not crying…”
Sniffling, Baek Cheon pushed Yoon Jong’s hand away. Then he asked.
“Then shouldn’t we immediately rush to the Yangtze River?”
“Why?”
“If it’s a war, we need to lend a hand. After all, we’re dealing with Sapaeryeon.”
Chung Myung nodded firmly with a determined look.
“Of course! Naturally, we should fight too!”
“Right, that’s what I thought?”
“Well, yeah… but…”
“Huh?”
Chung Myung’s once resolute face suddenly relaxed, like that of a contented cat, as he leaned back against the tree.
“It’s kind of bothersome to go right now, so let’s take our time… very slowly… reeeally slowly.”
“…”
“Let them fight each other until they’re bleeding and exhausted.”
“…”
“Ideally, they’ll both destroy each other in a mutual defeat.”
Baek Cheon stared at Chung Myung with a stunned expression.
Unlike Baek Cheon, who still harbored a sliver of hope in Chung Myung, Jo Geol had long since given up all expectations. Thus, he simply observed the situation without being affected by anything Chung Myung said.
“But, Chung Myung.”
“Yeah?”
“Isn’t there a chance this could cause problems for us?”
“What problems?”
“Think about it. We can fight against Sapaeryeon, but we can’t fight Gupailbang or the Five Great Families, can we?”
“Why can’t we? Just beat them down, and that’s it.”
“No, no, no. I mean, we can’t actually go to war with them. Killing each other and spilling blood – that’s not really possible.”
“……Huh?”
Chung Myung tilted his head with wide eyes at those words.
Everyone who witnessed the scene instinctively knew what was running through his mind.
‘He’s actually considering it.’
‘He doesn’t get it.’
‘Dear God. I’m scared of him.’
What on earth is the difference between the Evil Sects and the Just Sects in this guy’s head?
“Anyway, so?”
“Well, yeah. Um… But if a war breaks out and Gupailbang or Five Great Families wipe out Sapaeryeon, won’t we just end up doing nothing and handing the initiative over to them? Like a dog chasing chickens, only to end up staring at the roof.”
“Huh?”
“…Huh?”
When Jo Geol finished speaking, everyone turned to look at him in surprise.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Chung Myung applauded as if impressed. Jo Geol’s shoulders subconsciously straightened in pride.
“Right? I’m making sense, aren’t I?”
“Nope, not even close.”
This bastard.
“…Then why did you clap?”
“I was just impressed that my dear Sahyeong now sees Gupailbang and Five Great Families as being on par with Sapaeryeon. It was quite the realization.”
“You vicious bastard*.”
“Just like some Sapa.”
“…”
Jo Geol wanted to protest in frustration, but his words didn’t land. Well, except with one person.
“No, isn’t that a valid point?”
“Sasuk!”
Tears of gratitude welled up in Jo Geol’s eyes. As expected, Baek Cheon was Baek Cheon. Truly worthy of becoming the next Sect Leader…
“Usually, the things that come out of his mouth are just nonsense, but…”
Never mind. Yoon Jong should be the next Sect Leader.
“Either way, it’s true that the longer we take to get involved, the stronger the position of Gupailbang and Five Great Families becomes. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t imagine them losing to Sapaeryeon.”
While Sapaeryeon had grown at a ridiculous rate over the past three years, Gupailbang was still Gupailbang, and Five Great Families were still Five Great Families.
If they fought with all their strength, there was no way even Sapaeryeon could win. That was Baek Cheon’s common sense.
Chung Myung, who had been quietly listening, smirked.
“Some of what you said is right, and some of it is wrong, but honestly, you don’t need to worry about that. The situation you’re imagining won’t happen in the first place.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Because Gupailbang and the Five Great Families won’t be able to fully mobilize their forces.”
Baek Cheon’s face stiffened slightly.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. No matter how much Shaolin calls, not everyone is going to show up.”
“But this is a crisis for Gangho!”
“Yes, it is a crisis. But here’s the thing.”
Chung Myung gave a crooked smile.
“People don’t realize something is urgent until it’s their own feet that are on fire. And you said it yourself – if Gupailbang mobilizes their full strength, they can handle Sapaeryeon, right?”
“…That’s true.”
“But who’s going to rush to the front? They’d be insane to do that. If they lead the charge, they’ll take the brunt of the damage, and as Jo Geol Sahyeong said, after the war, they’ll be weakened and pushed around by other Just Sects.”
“B-But wouldn’t the victory itself be worth it?”
“Ah, a victory? You mean that useless, awkward moment of recognition they might get after everything’s said and done?”
“…”
“Life’s all about practical gains, practicality. Come on! In this world, a draft-dodger who gets rich through shady loans lives better than the soldier who returns with honors from the battlefield!”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Even when Demonic Cult invaded and it seemed like all of Gangho banded together to fight, plenty of sects pulled back to protect their own interests. And you’re talking about Sapaeryeon?”
“Sapaeryeon?”
“…”
“Yeah, sure, they’ll all fight real hard for that.”
A cold sweat broke out on Baek Cheon’s forehead.
“Th-Then are you saying Sapaeryeon is going to win?”
“You think it’ll be any different for them? If Jang Ilso leads the charge, the other leaders of the Evil Sects will be cheering from the back, hoping he dies early so they can take over.”
“…No.”
Baek Cheon was at a loss for words.
The fight between Gupailbang and Sapaeryeon that he had imagined was nothing like this. He had expected a fierce and honorable battle between the Just Sects and the Evil Sects…
This was nothing short of a chaotic battle of wits, a complete mess.
“What kind of war is this…?”
“No, no.”
“Huh?”
Chung Myung scoffed.
“It’s not that this kind of war is unusual – war is always like this. Historians just leave behind a few lines, making it seem like everything went smoothly. If they had documented every single thing that happened, those scribes would’ve all died early from high blood pressure.”
Baek Cheon thought to himself that he, too, might not be entirely normal. The nonsense coming out of that guy’s mouth was starting to sound convincing.
“Sasuk, so what we should do is…”
Chung Myung, after downing a refreshing gulp of liquor, laughed again.
“We should just sit back, watch those idiots bash each other’s heads in, and enjoy our drinks. Hahaha! Just thinking about that big bald head popping a vein makes me feel like I’m finally overcoming that indigestion from three years ago! Ahahaha!”
Chung Myung, spotting Baek Ah trying to sneak away, quickly grabbed him and, looking down at the tiny face, burst into wild laughter.
“…Crazy bastard.”
Baek Cheon, completely exhausted, let out a deep sigh. The fact that he was back at Hwasan was sinking in with full force.
Better to die than to suffer.
Better to die…
________
* 사갈. biga uses this word quite often but it’s kind of hard to find in the dictionary directly so here it is: 蛇蝎 literally meaning “snakes and scorpions,” figuratively “vicious person, abomination” etc.
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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