Chapter 187 :

<Rewriting the Sichuan Blood Incident (7)>

After the Mountain King Contest, everything went smoothly.

First, we requisitioned carts from Hwaeom Stronghold to transport the wounded.

Apparently, they had often attacked merchants instead of merely collecting tolls, because the stronghold was full of sturdy carriages and carts.

"How dare you attack innocent merchants?!"

It was perhaps only natural that an enraged Bang Duchil beat the stronghold chiefs.

The beating stopped only after they promised, "From now on, we'll only collect tolls."

On the road from Hwaeom Stronghold to Chengdu, we assigned experts from the strongholds to escort duty and night watches.

The strange procession of Martial Academy students, Martial Alliance members, and bandits continued for several days until we finally reached Chengdu.

Then Bang Duchil's group, who had accompanied us all the way, said their farewells.

Whatever else had happened, I was grateful that he had answered my summons without demanding anything in return.

"Where do you intend to go now?"

"For now, I thought I'd take a look around Sichuan."

"At this time, I would recommend visiting Guizhou Province instead."

"Why?"

Because a major war was about to break out in Sichuan.

But I could hardly tell him that outright.

"Sichuan will be rather unsettled for a while. I doubt you'll be able to enjoy a peaceful journey."

"Hmm… Is that so?"

Judging by his expression, the prospect of an unsettled Sichuan only made him want to stay.

He seemed to have roughly grasped what was happening as well.

As expected, Baek Soryeong stepped forward to settle matters.

"Darling, let's do as Young Master Jin suggests. When have we ever suffered by listening to him?"

"Shall we? I intended to visit some other strongholds on the way back anyway. It wouldn't hurt to move a little sooner."

He spoke very casually, but it was easy to imagine him visiting the Seventy-Two Green Forest Strongholds one by one and challenging them to Mountain King Contests.

'Is his path to becoming the Fighting King already beginning?'

Considering how much later his conquest of Jiangnan had begun in my previous life, it was a dramatic change.

"Jiangnan will soon be beneath your feet, Big Brother."

Bang Duchil's lips twitched.

"You think so?"

But the lands north of the Yangtze would not be so easy.

That was where most of the true powerhouses of the Seventy-Two Green Forest Strongholds were gathered.

Even so, he would probably unify them several years earlier than in my previous life.

Following that thought, I felt a fresh sense of wonder.

We had been reasonably close in my previous life, but not close enough for him to come running at a single message.

I had prevented his dantian from being injured, but I could not clearly distinguish whether I had done that for his sake or my own.

Yet Bang Duchil showed me boundless loyalty.

That pure, profound trust weighed slightly on my heart.

"Please make sure you listen to Sister-in-law. If you do, your path won't hold many hardships."

"Ahem! Ahem!"

I offered the advice sincerely.

The normally rough Bang Duchil blushed and cleared his throat, while Baek Soryeong covered her lips and laughed.

It was a sight I had dearly missed, and I was glad to see it again.

"You take care as well, Little Brother. From the rumors I've heard, neither what you've been through nor what lies ahead sounds particularly easy."

Bang Duchil's expression grew quite serious.

"People like you and me stand out wherever we go. Naturally, that makes others reject us. But hiding and suppressing ourselves won't make it easy to fit in either. A hawk looks far too different among ducks."

Uncharacteristically, Bang Duchil continued speaking with considerable wisdom.

Then his eyes gleamed, and he grinned.

"In that case, why bother becoming a duck? You can remain a hawk and rule over them, or become a predator. That's all there is to it."

Had there been a time when he, too, wanted to join the flock of ducks?

As I wondered whether he had endured difficult times of his own, Bang Duchil stared straight at me.

"So don't curse your talons or your sharp beak. We each have our own place."

"…"

He was probably saying this because he had watched me among the academy students over the past several days.

Apparently, even to his eyes, I looked thoroughly out of place at the Martial Academy.

"Thank you, Big Brother."

I meant it sincerely.

His advice seemed to leave a deep impression on my heart.

We had become sworn brothers almost by accident, but I had never expected to feel such reassurance and thoughtfulness from him as an elder brother.

He placed his enormous hands on both my shoulders.

"So come back to Black Dragon Stronghold whenever you like. With Hwaeom Stronghold added, you now have two strongholds to lead, don't you?"

"Ah…"

So that was what all the talk about ducks meant?

Damn it…

The reassurance and thoughtfulness I had felt crumbled away.

"Listen, once we conquer all of Jiangnan, we'll head north of the Yangtze! Then we'll act together as the Twin Dragons. How about—"

"Darling! Let's get going!"

Perhaps sensing my deteriorating expression, Baek Soryeong began pulling Bang Duchil away.

Even as she dragged him off, he did not stop talking.

"Then you'll rule the north, and I'll rule Jiangnan! Together, we'll have all under heaven beneath our feet! Mmph! Mmph!"

Finally, Baek Soryeong covered his mouth.

How was I supposed to change the name of that damned Black Dragon Stronghold?

I pressed hard against my throbbing temples.

As soon as we reached the Martial Alliance's Chengdu Branch, Elders Suheo and Sangwon were the first to leave the group.

After meeting privately with the branch leader, they hired a branch carriage, took the other elders aboard, and departed immediately.

Their disciples remained bewildered at the sight of their elders leaving without even saying goodbye.

We entrusted all the wounded to the branch's Medical Hall, while the academy students were assigned rooms, squeezing in three or four to a room.

For now, whether it was an inn or a lodging house hardly mattered. Everyone simply wanted to recover from the long journey.

I also intended to wash immediately and relieve some of my accumulated fatigue, but someone summoned me.

"The branch leader?"

"Yes. He wishes to see you immediately."

The Council of Elders had been responsible for this event, followed by the Shenghu Hall leader.

Why would someone as important as a Martial Alliance branch leader want to meet the academy representative?

"Black Dragon Stronghold is a misunderstanding…"

If I had to guess, the summons probably concerned Black Dragon Stronghold, the enormous snowball created by Bang Duchil's ridiculous ambitions and Baek Soryeong's joke.

All the academy students had seen me participate in the Mountain King Contest. Surely someone had reported it.

'Those damned bastards. I only stepped forward to save them.'

If I had not participated in the Mountain King Contest, wouldn't we have suffered considerable losses?

I had only done the best I could…

"Please come along."

At the servant's urging, I stared at him.

"Do I have to?"

"Pardon?"

His expression asked why I was questioning something so obvious.

Right. Of course.

Having come this far, refusing to go would only make things stranger.

But that did not make me want to go.

Even in my previous life, I had not had a single pleasant experience involving Martial Alliance branch leaders.

Every last one had been overbearing, self-righteous, and selfish.

At least as an academy student, I received messages telling me to come and go. During my days in the Sojeong Unit, they had not even treated me like a person.

Compared with my previous life, I had risen so far that it made my head spin, but my old sense of defeat remained.

"Please come along. He has been waiting for some time."

In the end, I dragged my feet after him.

When I reached the branch leader's office, someone was already there.

"Hall Leader."

I greeted the Shenghu Hall leader, but he merely gave a brief nod without any other response.

Was he distancing himself now because I was the chief of Black Dragon Stronghold?

I had not thought he was that kind of person…

It was an understandable reaction, but I would be lying if I said I was not disappointed.

'I was even going to buy Evil-Banishing Spirit-Exorcising for the Shenghu Hall members.'

Then, just as I was about to offer the Chengdu Branch leader a cupped-fist greeting, he sprang to his feet.

"Young Hero Jin, thank you for coming despite your fatigue."

"…"

His first words were exceedingly strange.

'Young hero?'

A Martial Alliance branch leader held a position equivalent to a pavilion master within the alliance.

They governed the region while conveying the Martial Alliance's will.

It was a senior position representing the alliance in each locality.

Consequently, it was not a position someone of ordinary standing could attain.

The Chengdu Branch leader alone had been an elite disciple of the Diancang Sect. In terms of academy cohorts, he was my senior by an almost unimaginable margin.

Dang Hyeokjae, the former Yueyang Branch leader, had been an exception. Most branch leaders did not even consider academy students proper warriors.

"What tea do you prefer? I have Longjing tea and Junshan Silver Needle…"

He was even letting me choose the tea?

What on earth was going on?

"Junshan Silver Needle seems to suit my taste."

"Ah, ah…! I-is that so?"

What?

For an instant, he looked a little reluctant to part with it.

If it was that precious, he should not have offered it.

"It seems saving just enough for 'one serving' was worthwhile."

The branch leader was making every effort to win my favor, as though dealing with a creditor.

'What is going on here?'

Until I arrived, I had expected to be dragged to the Golden Prison and interrogated about my relationship with Bang Duchil, or whether I was a spy from Black Dragon Stronghold…

"The fragrance is excellent."

"I am truly glad it suits your taste, young hero."

"But why did you wish to see me?"

If he was voluntarily placing himself beneath me, there was no reason for me to lower myself as well.

I straightened my hunched shoulders.

Crack. Crack.

Sounds came from various parts of my body.

The Chengdu Branch leader smiled at me as though he had encountered an exceptionally important guest.

"I cannot thank you enough for preventing the Righteous Path Association's losses from becoming much worse."

"I merely did what I ought to do."

"To consider sacrificing yourself for others a matter of course… The future of the murim world is bright indeed."

By the time someone became a branch leader, they were practically half a politician.

The Chengdu Branch leader's tongue moved as though it had been coated in oil.

Having never received such flattery in either life, I found it positively chilling.

In any case, there was no doubt that his behavior was extremely strange.

'Did Daoist Myeonghyeon leave without saying anything?'

Considering his grudge against me, I had expected Daoist Myeonghyeon to turn his junior sect member against me as soon as he reached the branch.

Why, then, was that junior acting so eager to please me?

"This incident has been deeply disconcerting for our Chengdu Branch in Sichuan as well. That is why we are so grateful for your assistance, young hero."

"…"

Now he was speaking as though I were his master.

When I remained silent with a stiff expression, he finally seemed to notice something amiss. He cleared his throat and tried to get to the point.

"I hear you have a favorable relationship with Chief Bang Duchil, the Green Dragon of Zhejiang."

…Surely, from the branch leader's perspective, it was more than merely a favorable relationship?

He asked in a discreet tone.

"I imagine your chivalrous spirit must have moved even the heart of a mere bandit like Chief Bang Duchil?"

"…What exactly are you trying to say?"

Growing unbearably frustrated, I finally asked directly.

The branch leader's lips moved hesitantly.

"May I ask just how close you are to Chief Bang Duchil?"

My gaze shifted to the Shenghu Hall leader.

Even without a voice transmission, he seemed to understand what I was asking and gave a small shake of his head.

'The hall leader is one thing, but Daoist Myeonghyeon and the Diancang Sect students didn't say anything either?'

Judging by the atmosphere, the branch leader did not seem to know that Bang Duchil and I were sworn brothers.

Naturally, he also appeared unaware that I was the chief of Black Dragon Stronghold.

These bastards were surprisingly loyal.

For some reason, I felt a little touched.

"I apologize for asking something so personal. But the very survival of the Chengdu Branch in Sichuan now rests with you, young hero."

In other words… The Chengdu Branch leader wanted me to ask Bang Duchil for something.

I casually rested one ankle on my opposite knee.

After sitting tensely for so long, my legs ached a little.

At the same time, I gave myself a long stretch.

The branch leader's eyebrow seemed to twitch.

But it was difficult to speak properly when my body was stiff.

I lightly cleared my throat.

"…As a young talent of the righteous faction, I hesitate to say this… But you may consider us practically sworn brothers."

"Oh! Is that so?!"

The branch leader's eyes widened.

Gu Jeongryong, who had been glancing at me, also widened his eyes in surprise.

"I hear Chief Bang Duchil recently brought the Green Forest strongholds under his control through a Mountain King Contest. Might you ask him for assistance?"

Now I roughly understood.

The Righteous Path Association had come to Sichuan, suffered a Blood Cult attack, and sustained losses.

Moreover, as soon as the Blood Cult's identity was exposed, the Martial Alliance would dispatch a large force, and war would break out in Sichuan.

Then why was the branch leader looking for Bang Duchil?

"It is for the peace and safety of the murim world."

…He dressed it up nicely enough, but he was probably afraid the Green Forest strongholds would not stand idly by while an enormous Martial Alliance force marched around Sichuan.

His position was already precarious because he had not even known the Blood Cult had established itself near Sichuan.

If he also failed to control the Green Forest strongholds and the heretical factions, he could consider himself finished.

Moreover, the Diancang Sect had suffered considerable losses. If he returned to the main sect as things stood, they would undoubtedly find some pretext to punish him.

'Peace of the murim world, my ass… You crafty bastard.'

Listening to his hypocrisy made the back of my neck stiffen.

I turned my head from side to side to loosen it.

The branch leader pleaded with a servile expression.

"…It truly is important."

With his own neck on the line, the title "young hero" must have come naturally, even when addressing a junior far younger than himself.

In truth, setting aside his loathsome behavior, I had already intended to keep the Green Forest strongholds restrained.

If they unnecessarily interfered now, nothing good would come of it for them.

For the sake of an intact Green Forest Alliance in the future, I had planned to tell them to keep their heads down.

'But that doesn't mean I should help for free.'

He was looking after himself under the pretext of preserving the murim world's peace. Why should I naively let him use me?

Still, I could not simply reveal my true thoughts.

"If it is for the peace of the murim world, naturally I should help."

Something like that would be a suitable opening.

I composed myself as the academy representative and a young talent of the orthodox faction.

Then I delivered the words I had prepared.

"How much are you prepared to pay?"

Both the branch leader and Gu Jeongryong gaped blankly.

"…?!"

"…?!"

What was this silence?

Sensing the strange atmosphere, I looked between their faces.

'Hm? What is it? Ah!'

Then I realized I had mixed up what I intended to think and what I intended to say.

"Haha, oh dear. A slip of the tongue…"

Had playing the chief of Black Dragon Stronghold just once brought my intelligence down to Bang Duchil's level?