"What about the others?"
"They've all returned to their assigned lodgings for now."
At Im Sobyeong's words, Tang Gunak let out a deep sigh.
Baek Cheon's words were like a bombshell. Despite the pile of issues that still needed sorting, his single statement swallowed up the entire agenda.
Given the atmosphere, continuing the meeting was not easy, so they had no choice but to adjourn for now.
"Betrayal..."
Tang Gunak muttered briefly, then firmly shut his mouth. He glanced subtly at Hyeon Jong.
Even without asking, the depths of concern in his eyes were evident. It wasn't difficult to guess his inner thoughts.
"How does the military advisor view this?"
"Hmm."
Im Sobyeong, seated between Tang Gunak and the tea table, clicked his tongue and tapped his cheek with the fan's tip.
"It's rational."
"...Hmm."
"Indeed, there's no other possibility besides that."
"Is there really no chance that Jang Ilso has secretly raised separate forces?"
"If Jang Ilso had such power, the Four Tyrants Alliance wouldn't have formed in the first place. Myriad Man House would've simply crushed the Evil Sect."
"And if, after the formation of the Four Tyrants Alliance, Jang Ilso succeeded in raising such forces?"
Im Sobyeong shrugged.
"Then what's there to contemplate? We'd rush to Hubei immediately and beg for our lives."
A sigh escaped Tang Gunak's lips involuntarily.
"Even if it's a joke, don't say such things. We might take it lightly, but..."
"It might not sound as light to others. I'll be careful."
Tang Gunak rubbed his tired eyes and asked,
"But realistically, who could possibly betray us?"
"Are you suggesting possible sects?"
"...No."
Talking about it would only deepen unnecessary suspicions.
Enemies were growing stronger by the day, and just containing those enemies was overwhelming. And now, they had to be wary not only of external enemies but also internal betrayals.
All these circumstances raised a single doubt in Tang Gunak's mind.
"Are they doing now?"
"After occupying several manors on the outskirts of Hubei, there has been no movement."
Tang Gunak nodded slowly. They too needed to tidy up internally.
"Sir Alliance Lord."
Responding to Tang Gunak's call, Hyeon Jong threw a silent glance.
"What are you thinking, sir?"
"...Sir Family Lord."
"Yes?"
"...Does betrayal imply that those who followed the righteous path are now acting according to Jang Ilso's will?"
Tang Gunak furrowed his brow slightly. Why was he suddenly stating the obvious?
"That seems to be the case."
"Why?"
"...Pardon?"
"Why would they make such a choice?"
Tang Gunak was momentarily at a loss for words. Hyeon Jong spoke quietly,
"We had the upper hand back then. If they hadn't supported the Four Tyrants Alliance, the Evil Sect wouldn't have won. But why did they make such a choice? It wasn't like they submitted to us when the odds were in our favor, and they were in a favorable position themselves. What could be the reason for bowing to the enemy?"
Tang Gunak's face stiffened involuntarily.
He hadn't considered this point. The fact that there could be betrayers was too shocking, and he had been immersed in it.
"...Right."
It made sense.
No matter how he thought about it, there was no reason for betrayal. Especially for those with such skills, why would they choose to support the Four Tyrants Alliance?
"...Perhaps Jang Ilso made some tempting offers? Like offering to cede the territory north of the river..."
Im Sobyeong chuckled.
"Righteous sects betraying based on the words of the Evil Sect. It's a story that wouldn't even make it into fairy tales."
It was true. The more one thought about it, the more perplexing it became.
'Like a ghost.'
It existed, yet it had no substance.
"What exactly..."
Im Sobyeong, who had been pondering for a long time, scratched his head in frustration.
"...Where's the military leader now? We might need to hear the opinion of the most irrational fucker at the moment."
Tang Gunak and Hyeon Jong found themselves inadvertently locking eyes.
❀ ❀ ❀
"Betrayal," Moyongwigyeong murmured absentmindedly. At that, Jegal Jain asked, "Do you believe those words?"
"I don't want to believe them, but... isn't it impossible not to?" Moyongwigyeong replied.
"No matter how... it's still betrayal," Jegal Jain stated firmly.
The faces of the two conversing individuals were grave. Observing them, Jong Ligok quietly set down the teacup he had been holding and chuckled, a stark contrast to the serious atmosphere.
Once they settled in his abode, it was a relief compared to the awkwardness of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance, despite not having a particularly close relationship with the Southern Edge.
Or perhaps, they needed someone to give them orders, as they had never taken proactive action before.
"What does the sect leader think?" Jegal Jain asked Jong Ligok, seemingly casually.
"Before that... there's something I want to confirm," Jong Ligok replied.
"Yes, go ahead."
"It's about those who blocked you. Were they real?"
"Yes?"
Jegal Jain stared at Jong Ligok as if unsure what he meant.
"I mean those who hindered your way. I'm asking if they really existed."
After a moment, Jegal Jain's expression brightened.
"Sect leader!"
"Don't get too excited. It's just a confirmation. I won't blame you even if you were mistaken. Actually, it's better this way. At least now we have an additional questionable force to the Four Tyrants Alliance."
Jegal Jain bit his lip.
"I speak nothing but the truth."
"Um."
Jong Ligok sighed softly.
So, in the end, there were indeed traitors.
At that moment, Moyongwigyeong spoke up with a troubled expression.
"I don't know if I'm being foolish, but I don't understand this situation at all."
"What do you mean?" Jegal Jain asked.
"Just because unidentified enemies appeared, does that mean we must conclusively label them as traitors? It's possible that they are simply unknown allies."
Jegal Jain sighed deeply.
"If that were the case, there would be no need to conceal their identities. Yet we clearly saw them make efforts to do so."
"Well, yes, but..."
Jong Ligok brought the teacup to his lips again. Further discussion would only be speculative, a repetition of the same conversation.
"One more question," Jegal Jain said.
"Yes, sect leader?"
"How did you fight them?"
"What do you mean?"
"I heard that you retreated without much damage. If it had been a full-scale battle, it wouldn't have ended so easily. How many actually engaged in combat?"
Jegal Jain's face stiffened slightly.
"That... well, none."
The hand of Jong Ligok, about to tilt the teacup, paused abruptly.
"None?"
"Yes."
"There were over a hundred of them. But in reality, only a few engaged in combat. Why were you so certain they were all experts?"
"Well... that's..."
Moyongwigyeong quickly interjected, "Wasn't there a sense of momentum? Characteristics felt from those who truly learned martial arts. They had that."
Jong Ligok's lips twitched slightly.
"In the end, it seems you just assumed based on appearances."
"No, it's just that... well..."
Moyongwigyeong attempted to justify himself, but Jegal Jain remained silent, lips sealed.
Now Jong Ligok could roughly guess the situation.
'Rational.'
The enemies were indeed formidable. But what they had truly confirmed was only a dozen or so.
Even if behind those dozen, there were countless others merely adding to the illusion of grandeur, there was no way to confirm.
But Jegal Jain did not try to fight the unknown enemies at the risk of sacrifice.
There were two reasons for this.
One, if defeating unknown entities led to greater losses for them, then they were bound to lose anyway.
And more importantly, there was another decisive reason—they were not as passionate as to stake their lives against those whose identities they couldn't even discern.
"Betrayal..."
Jong Ligok desperately suppressed the laughter threatening to surface.
In this case, regardless of their identities, it wasn't difficult to argue that there was a traitor among them, was it? Betrayal wasn't merely about actively wielding a blade.
From Beok Jeong's perspective, who was shedding tears of blood, who was the real betrayer?
"Sect leader."
At the voice that reached him, Jong Ligok set aside the emerging thoughts. Now wasn't the time for such considerations. He spoke calmly.
"If that's the case... the scope is excessively broadening."
"That means..."
"If one intends, it's not difficult. It means anyone could be there if they possess the capabilities of a hundred degrees and expertise of ten degrees. For instance..."
Jong Ligok let out a strange chuckle.
"Those whose presence within those walls cannot be confirmed."
Jegal Jain's face hardened.
"Sect leader!"
"Or, those known to be still uninvolved in the Central Plains affairs, dwelling in faraway corners."
This time, Moyongwigyeong's face slightly paled.
"Sect leader, what you're saying now..."
"Or..."
Jong Ligok said calmly.
"Could it be the individuals sitting before you right now?"
"..."
"..."
Jong Ligok, observing the two who seemed to have frozen up to their mouths, chuckled softly.
"What I mean is, with such conditions, identification is impossible. Anyone could be a traitor."
"That... makes sense."
"So how should we deal with it..."
"Well..."
Jong Ligok sighed and downed the tea in one gulp.
"It might sound absurd, but I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about Mount Hua and the Heavenly Friendship Alliance."
"Yes, sect leader."
"The Heavenly Friendship Alliance... Or rather, a sect like Mount Hua usually doesn't go about things in a conventional manner in such cases."
"Really?"
"...Whether it's a problem of individuals or of the sect, I'm not sure."
Jong Ligok turned his gaze. Beyond the window stood Mount Hua, towering oppressively. Seeing it, he chuckled softly.
❀ ❀ ❀
The crimson sunset enveloped the entire world.
Chung Myung's face, seated at the edge of Mount Hua's northern peak, also turned gradually red.
Quietly watching the setting sun without a single movement, Chung Myung heard footsteps behind him.
"You're here."
Chung Myung turned without a word.
"Mount Hua people always come up to the mountains whenever they get a chance. There's no one else in the world who enjoys mountain climbing like you. How come you're always here whenever there's time? You're going to come down soon anyway."
Baek Cheon approached with a weary expression, then settled beside Chung Myung.
Chung Myung asked, "What's the matter?"
"What matter has to be there for me to come?"
Without looking at Chung Myung, Baek Cheon replied, gazing only at the sky Chung Myung was looking at.
"Just came up to avoid the snowfall."
Chung Myung chuckled incredulously.
"You do realize you're going to get hit by snow, right?"
"I'm not someone who lacks perception."
"Your face is so thick I thought you might not notice."
This time, Baek Cheon let out a light laugh.
Baek Cheon wasn't a traitor. He merely mentioned the possibility of a traitor.
But people are always like that. They find discomfort in facing realities they don't want to expose or confront. They even point fingers and curse.
Eventually, when they come to accept reality, the atmosphere changes, but for a while, they must endure uncomfortable glances.
"So did you run away?"
"Well, it's more like... just avoiding for a moment."
"Why here of all places?"
"Hmm. Just felt like it."
Baek Cheon paused for a moment and turned to look at Chung Myung. A smile played at the corner of his mouth.
"I guess I can imagine what it's been like for you, facing the stares I'm getting now."
"..."
The sunset grew increasingly crimson and dense. A long shadow fell over Chung Myung's face.