Just like back then. (5)
Hong Daekwang bit down hard on his lower lip.
“…There’s a high chance the Bishop who appeared in Hangzhou came with them?”
“Yeah.”
Chung Myung elaborated.
“Even if it isn’t that bastard, it makes no difference. Wherever the Demonic Cult moves, there is always a Bishop. And I don’t need to explain what kind of monsters the Bishops of the Demonic Cult are.”
Everyone nodded.
Whether they had witnessed Hangzhou firsthand or had only heard about it afterward, there wasn’t a single person present who didn’t know how horrifying the Demonic Disaster [마화(魔禍)] that had befallen Hangzhou had been.
“Then we must assume that the Great Wall will be breached. Perhaps it already has been.”
Im Sobyeong’s composed voice pierced their hearts like an awl.
“Then, realistically, the place where we’ll first encounter them would be…”
Im Sobyeong trailed off for a moment, then furrowed his brow and turned to Chung Myung.
“…Should we assume it’ll be around Shijiazhuang?”
“You’re still expecting too much. Handan at best.”
“Hmm… I suppose so.”
Hong Daekwang’s pupils trembled violently. There was something deeply unsettling about their conversation, a sense of incongruity that refused to leave him. And it didn’t take him long to realize exactly what that unease was.
“What are you talking about? Shijiazhuang!”
His voice had begun to tremble so badly that he could no longer conceal it.
“Don’t you know what lies north of Shijiazhuang?”
“…”
“Beijing! It’s Beijing! According to what you’re saying, Beijing will……”
Hong Daekwang, who had been speaking with growing anger, suddenly let his words trail off. Chung Myung and Im Sobyeong were staring back at him with cold, emotionless expressions, without the slightest hint of agitation.
Hong Daekwang clenched his teeth once more before forcing the words out in anguish.
“You already… believe that Beijing must be abandoned.”
“You’re wrong.”
Chung Myung replied calmly, his tone perfectly even.
“We’re not abandoning it. There’s simply no way to help.”
“No way…”
“Even if we send reinforcements now, they’ll be too late. Nor can we expect Hebei to hold out on its own. I’m sure I don’t need to explain why.”
A chill ran down Hong Daekwang’s spine.
“…Because the Paeng Family is gone.”
No matter whom one asked, the sect that represented Hebei was the Hebei Paeng Family. However, the Hebei Paeng Family had suffered losses bordering on complete annihilation in the great catastrophe in Hubei.
The Paeng Family was not all of Hebei, but in a situation like this, there always needed to be someone who could serve as the center.
‘That should have been the Hebei Paeng Family.’
Hebei had lost its center, and even Henan, which should have been the first to come to Hebei’s aid in such a situation, had been reduced to ruins.
“On top of that, the leaders of Hebei’s major sects are all here right now.”
At Im Sobyeong’s words, Hong Daekwang bit down on his lip again.
“I know. I know! I know the situation leaves us with few options. But even so, Beijing is…”
He understood it logically as well. He knew there was realistically no way to help Beijing. But even so, how could abandoning Beijing possibly be acceptable?
The number of civilians living there alone must easily exceed several hundred thousand. Most would flee once war broke out, but even counting only those who would be unable to escape and would be swallowed by the flames of war, the number would still reach into the tens of thousands.
He had never even imagined having to make a choice that placed tens of thousands of lives upon the scales.
“Sect Leader.”
At the voice calling him, Hong Daekwang flinched and looked at Chung Myung.
“Don’t waste your strength clinging to what can’t be done. Do what you can. Right now, we can’t afford to waste even that much time.”
Hong Daekwang clenched his fists tightly.
“…We should tell the sects in Hebei to retreat, then?”
“That’s what I think.”
“Then I’ll have the Sect Leaders write letters at once. As for Beijing… I don’t know whether it will work, but I’ll try urging them to take action through our branch there.”
Even as he spoke, Hong Daekwang knew full well that this was hardly a meaningful response. The force that truly controlled Beijing was the Imperial Palace, and the Imperial Palace was not a place that would heed a recommendation from the Beggars Sect.
But at a time like this, they had to grasp at even the faintest hope.
“The Imperial Palace is surely aware of the situation by now, isn’t it?”
“Their intelligence network surpasses even the Beggars Sect’s, so they should be. Even if they weren’t, there’s no way word of what happened in the north hasn’t reached them.”
Yet Hong Daekwang’s expression remained grim.
“But would the Imperial Palace truly choose to flee? Being driven from the capital by a group of cultists would be an unimaginable humiliation to them.”
“It wouldn’t exactly be the first time. A hundred years ago, the Emperor even fled barefoot.”
“…..Seriously?”
Hong Daekwang gave him a look that seemed to ask, ‘Where in the world did you learn something even we don’t know?’ Chung Myung, naturally, offered no answer.
“And none of that matters anyway. What matters isn’t the Imperial Palace, but the innocent civilians living in Beijing.”
Chung Myung fixed his gaze on Hong Daekwang.
“Can you mobilize the Beggars Sect’s members to help the civilians evacuate?”
“W-Wait a moment, Hwasan Shinryong. That’s not a question of whether it’s possible. Beijing is, by principle, a place where interference by martial sects is completely forbidden. Even if it’s for the sake of the common people, unless you’re prepared to make an enemy of the Imperial Palace…”
“So, can you do it?”
Hong Daekwang’s eyes met Chung Myung’s. Chung Myung simply looked at him in silence. Under that steady gaze, Hong Daekwang bit down on his lip until it bled before finally throwing up both hands in surrender.
“Damn it! Fine, we can do it! If we mobilize every beggar in Hebei and Henan, we’ll manage somehow! Satisfied?”
“Good.”
“Ugh… Damn it, I must have lost my mind. I had to be insane to take the position of the Sect Leader!”
If he had known this would happen, he should have brought Pung Yeong Shin Gae with him.
“Well, isn’t it all right? Perhaps we won’t even have to worry about dealing with the aftermath.”
“You lunatic. Is that really something you should say?”
There was no reason for Hong Daekwang to harbor any loyalty towards the Imperial Family. What use was loyalty to a beggar? Beggars were castoffs who were already struggling just to feed themselves.
However, if the Imperial Family collapsed, those who remained would have to bear the consequences in full. There was a reason people cursed the government yet never truly wished for the nation itself to collapse.
At that moment, Baek Cheon, who had been silently listening to the conversation among the three, spoke.
“Then it seems we’ve more or less decided where the reinforcements will go. Chung Myung.”
“Yeah.”
“How will we provide support?”
Chung Myung slowly closed his eyes.
“What do you think?”
“Hmm?”
When Chung Myung turned the question back on him, Baek Cheon frowned slightly. Chung Myung spoke calmly.
“If we establish a defensive line at Handan… we can request support from the other nearby sects. It would be the safer approach.”
Baek Cheon nodded silently.
“But… if we establish the defensive line at Shijiazhuang…”
“We go to Shijiazhuang.”
Baek Cheon cut Chung Myung off and answered as though there were no need to hear the rest. Chung Myung spoke with a sigh.
“It won’t be easy. The reinforcements probably won’t arrive in time.”
“But in return, we’ll be able to stop those lunatics from slaughtering people for a little longer.”
“…”
“Am I right?”
Chung Myung did not answer. Baek Cheon then turned to the Five Swords and asked for their opinions.
“That’s how it is. What are we going to do?”
The Five Swords each grinned as Baek Cheon’s gaze fell upon them.
“I hear the scenery in Shijiazhuang is quite beautiful.”
“I have wanted to visit it at least once. We didn’t get a proper chance to stop there on our last trip to Beijing, either.”
“Then we’ll head to Shijiazhuang for now.”
For the first time, a look of genuine surprise appeared on Chung Myung’s face, which until now had been as cold and rigid as ice.
“That isn’t something you can decide so lightly. I’m against it.”
“Chung Myung-ah. Sometimes, it seems like you’re under some kind of misconception.”
“Huh?”
Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung with a sullen expression and said.
“Why do you get to decide that? You’re nothing but a low-ranking second generation disciple. You may be the General of Cheonumaeng, but did you think that made you someone important at Hwasan too?”
“…”
Chung Myung’s mouth opened and closed as he merely blinked.
“I swear, you’re always so full of yourself.”
“Just the youngest of us.”
“The youngest is Soso. Though Chung Myung is the youngest in age.”
“Amitabha. What can be done? He was simply born that way.”
“…Is that really something a monk should say?”
Leaving behind the flood of remarks that poured out as though they had all been waiting for this moment, Baek Cheon raised his chin.
“You hear that?”
“…”
Chung Myung’s mouth fell open.
“I wouldn’t complain even if you all put your heads together and decided to establish the defensive line at Handan. That’s a perfectly reasonable choice. But if all the reinforcements are gathering there, doesn’t that just mean there’s no reason for us to go as well?”
“So you’re saying we should go to Shijiazhuang? When the Demonic Cult is coming?”
“What kind of idiotic thing are you saying? We’re going precisely because the Demonic Cult is coming.”
The Five Swords nodded in unison.
“Chung Myung really has gotten a little slow lately.”
“He used to be so sharp. Back in the old days.”
“He regained a little humanity in exchange for losing some intelligence. Judging by the outcome alone, I would say it was not a bad trade.”
“Ah, if that’s how it works, I think he could stand to get even a little dumber. He’s still got a long way to go when it comes to being human.”
A hollow laugh escaped Chung Myung. He knew this was not a situation in which he should be laughing, but he could not stop it from slipping out.
“You’re the idiots here! Do you not understand the situation we’re in?”
“Now he’s even forgotten what he said himself.”
“…Huh?”
Like some thug, Baek Cheon casually cracked his neck from side to side before speaking.
“If I intended to use my head, why would I have joined a martial sect? I would have taken the imperial examination instead.”
“…”
“It isn’t our job to rack our brains over which place is safer. Our job is to know who needs us more.”
Baek Cheon spoke with a firmness that left no room for compromise.
“We’re going to Shijiazhuang.”
“…”
“You handle the rest.”
Chung Myung glared at Baek Cheon for a long time before his lips twisted strangely.
“You’re not going to listen no matter how much I try to stop you, are you?”
“Can we leave now?”
“Learn to distinguish courage from recklessness.”
Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon and the Five Swords seated on either side of him.
“I hate to admit it, but you, Sahyeongs, are an important part of our fighting strength. You’re not people we can afford to lose just like that.”
“Ahem.”
“Uh… well, that is true…”
“It’s kind of awkward hearing you praise us out of nowhere. Heh.”
Hearing praise from Chung Myung – something that almost never happened – the Five Swords could not hide their embarrassment and bewilderment.
Chung Myung let out a quiet sigh, then turned to Im Sobyeong.
“You know what needs to be done?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
When Chung Myung still did not look away, Im Sobyeong spoke.
“We’ll ask each sect to send their elites. They’ll be instructed to head straight to Shijiazhuang and join you there. Everyone else, except for those elites, will first assemble at Handan.”
“Good.”
“But will that be enough? Going to Shijiazhuang is practically suicide. At least, that is how the sects receiving the request will inevitably see it. Which means that, depending on how things go… it’s entirely possible that fewer than a hundred people will actually come to Shijiazhuang.”
“A hundred…….”
Chung Myung grinned, raising one corner of his lips as high as it would go.
“That’s more than enough.”
“You madman…”
Hong Daekwang shook his head as though he had given up trying to understand. Chung Myung spoke quietly.
“There’s no question that the Demonic Cult bastards are strong. We can’t underestimate them.”
Chung Myung knew that better than anyone.
“But it’s not like we’re weak either, is it?”
The Five Swords’ eyes gleamed sharply.
“But those stupid Demonic Cult bastards seem to be unaware of that fact, perhaps because they’ve been stuck in some backwaters for too long. So, what do you think we should do?”
“What else would we do?”
Jo Geol answered in Baek Cheon’s stead with a broad grin.
“If they don’t know, we teach them. We’re kind people, after all.”
Chung Myung nodded as though there wasn’t even anything to think about.
“Right.”
The Five Swords all wore much the same expressions.
“We leave at dawn. The people joining us will need time for the message to reach them.”
“Understood.”
Chung Myung’s gaze darkened.
‘Heavenly Executioner.’
It had been a long, bitter feud. It was time to bring it to an end.
And after that…
He would finally face the one he truly had to settle things with – the fated enemy from his past, the one who stood at the end of all his unresolved grudges*.
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*Here biga uses 악연의 상대 instead of just saying enemy/opponent (적). 악연(惡緣) means ill-fated relationship/evil bond/malignant connection (惡 – ak – genuinely evil and wicked, discussed in previous chapters; 緣 – yeon – link, connection, fate). 상대 here means ‘the other one,’ ‘the counterpart’ – someone on the other end of ‘ill-fated relationships.’ I think this is important to emphasize, since this choice of words seems very deliberate, and I had to rephrase the sentence quite a bit so it would carry the same meaning in english.
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