"Oh?"
"Elder brother?"
Baek Cheon, who was returning to his quarters with a disgruntled expression, met Jo Gol and Yun Jong on the way. He looked at the two with narrowed eyes.
"Oh..."
"...This feels awkward."
"Are you okay, elder brother?"
"I'm... fine..."
Baek Cheon nodded hesitantly, and Jo Gol whispered to Yun Jong.
"Isn't he in worse condition than we expected?"
"But he's still your father, right? Usually, when a runaway child meets their father, things don't go well. Or, at least, someone's leg gets broken."
"Then, is he returning in good shape?"
"No, not exactly. He's still 'currently' in good shape. You never know when a leg might break."
"Oh."
Jo Gol glanced at Baek Cheon's legs. After all, when he was caught just a week before coming to Mount Hua, he was beaten so badly that any part of his body could have been broken.
Despite being beaten badly just a week ago, this guy hasn't learned his lesson after ten years of running away? Of course, by now it should be called independence rather than running away, but Jin Chobaek's perspective might be different.
Yun Jong, who was observing Baek Cheon's deathly pale complexion, chuckled softly and said, "I also think that breaking away is hard to do. Take this opportunity to mend your relationship a bit, elder brother."
"Yun Jong."
"Yes?"
"...Do you know what kind of person our father is?"
"Hmm..."
Yun Jong narrowed his eyes. He had seen him from a distance a few times, but he didn't really know what kind of person he was. He only knew that he resembled Baek Cheon.
"He's... well..."
"Think about it for a moment."
"What do you mean?"
"Jin Geumryong came from under him."
"..."
Yun Jong's face clouded at the mention of that.
"Well... he's your father, elder brother."
Jo Gol and Yun Jong glanced at each other.
"Wow. When you think about it, he's elder brother's and Jin Geumryong's father. He must be someone out of the ordinary."
"That's right. He's elder brother's father."
These bastards?
Veins popped on Baek Cheon's forehead. But he couldn't refute what they were saying.
"But he must be better than Jin Geumryong, right?"
"That's my thought. Uh... I mean, elder brother and Jin Geumryong have one thing in common, don't they? I don't want to admit it, but..."
"It seems like more than one thing..."
"Do you really want to be beaten up?"
"...What? What's that common thing?"
Baek Cheon murmured weakly.
"Both of you have been beaten to death. By someone."
"Ah, you mean getting your head smashed."
"That's a commonality that can be mentioned. But what does that have to do with this?"
"Well, you see..."
Baek Cheon let out a deep sigh.
"I feel a bit embarrassed saying this, but our father... is someone who I've never seen beaten up like Jin Geumryong."
"Huh!"
"Ugh..."
Yun Jong and Jo Gol shivered.
They recalled the unfortunate Jin Geumryong and Baek Cheon just before being beaten up by Chung Myung. What would those two have become if they had aged normally?
"It must be tough for you."
"Well... thinking about it, being a monk isn't necessarily the only path we should follow. After all, we've left home."
Baek Cheon replied weakly, rubbing his face.
"It's easier said than done..."
"True."
"Yeah, that's right."
They all sighed involuntarily.
Of course, Jin Chobaek had aged, and a lot of time had passed, so he must have changed from before. But even so, the burden of having to act with a father he wasn't on good terms with didn't disappear.
Moreover...
At that moment, Yun Jong twitched slightly and looked at Baek Cheon with a serious expression.
"Elder brother, I have something to ask you."
"What?"
"Then, Jin Geumryong becomes an ordinary member of the faction, right?"
"That's right."
"What faction is he affiliated with?"
"..."
"No way..."
Baek Cheon turned his head to gaze at the distant sky. Seeing something glittering in his eyes, Yun Jong and Jo Gol exchanged looks again.
"Who compiled this faction roster?"
"Why ask such an obvious question? It was done by Chung Myung."
"Coincidence?"
"Oh, senior brother. Please don't say such nonsense. Where is the coincidence in anything that bastard does? This is clearly intentional."
So, does that mean Chung Myung deliberately pushed Baek Cheon into the position of the faction's deputy household head, knowing full well that Jin Chobaek and Jin Geumryong were here?
"Is he really picking a fight?"
"That wicked bastard..."
The two trembling individuals approached Baek Cheon again, wrapping their arms around his shoulders.
"Stay strong, elder brother. What can you do? Since it's come to this, try to take it easy."
"Yes, elder brother. After all, they're family, aren't they? Family."
"Because they're family... because they're family."
"Ah..."
That makes sense, too.
Seeing that there were no more comforting words to find for them, Baek Cheon, despite being the elder, was the first to speak.
"What about you guys? Did you meet with your household heads separately? Are they okay?"
"As for the Beast Palace Lord, well, he's always fine. Of course, if you have a close conversation with him, your ears might hurt a bit..."
"True."
Baek Cheon nodded weakly.
If it were anyone else, they might find it difficult due to the creatures milling around the Beast Palace Lord, but Jo Gol wouldn't have any issues. After all, he's more attuned to that side than to human affairs.
"Lord Moyongsir was more approachable than I expected."
"...Really?"
Baek Cheon looked at Yun Jong with a slightly surprised expression.
"He seemed quite reasonable when he realized his role and didn't unnecessarily obstruct matters. He seemed a bit different from how he was before."
"...He is the family lord of a major clan. Naturally, he would have broad perspectives."
"Yes. When I think about it, he was the one who tried to mediate as much as possible while restraining Lord Zhuge Family, wasn't he?"
"That's right."
"On one hand, he seems to be quite mild. I don't think there will be any major problems if I do well."
Baek Cheon nodded in agreement.
Tang Gunak and Hye Yeon would undoubtedly be fine, and the combination of Pungyeong Shingae and Nangong Dowi wouldn't cause any problems either. Although Nangong Dowi may be full of energy, Pungyeong Shingae has been leading the Beggars Union from the shadows. They should be able to harmonize with each other.
In that case...
"Why only me..."
"Don't cry, elder brother."
"The damned bastard..."
Baek Cheon wiped his face with his sleeve and let out a deep sigh.
"Anyway, let's do our best. Now, really... Yes, that's all we can do."
"Yes, elder brother."
"Yes."
Yun Jong and Jo Gol nodded their heads. Although they appeared to be scheming like foxes, when it came to the battlefield, there was no doubt that Baek Cheon would be the one to fulfill his role better than anyone else. However, Yun Jong's gaze towards Baek Cheon was not as comfortable as Jo Gol's. Neither Jo Gol nor Baek Cheon realized it yet.
"More importantly, what are we going to do now? Since no one has given us any instructions, what exactly should we do?"
Jo Gol scratched his head, and Baek Cheon nodded.
"Now, you're not in a position to receive orders; you're in a position to give them."
"Yes."
"So, don't wait for others to tell you what to do. Think for yourselves what needs to be done and act accordingly."
"Got it, but..."
Seeing Jo Gol's troubled expression, Baek Cheon chuckled.
"If it were me, I'd start by meeting with members of my faction. Even though we're connected by fate, getting to know each other will make things a bit easier."
"Ah, that makes sense."
Jo Gol nodded vigorously.
Under normal circumstances, he could easily think of such things, but suddenly being thrust into the heavy position of deputy household head made his head feel a bit dizzy.
"What about after that?"
"After that..."
Baek Cheon's head turned to the side.
"We wait."
"..."
"We wait for them to issue orders."
Chung Myung, Im Sobyeong, and Jegal Jain.
Representatives of the righteous sect and the evil sect. And recently, the military leader of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance, proving their unmatched prowess in the face of any opposition.
The three of them sat around a small tea table placed at the center.
"We've finalized the formation. It may take some time, but soon we'll move as one entity," Jegal Jain said, and Chung Myung nodded in agreement.
The most crucial part of this formation was the aspect Chung Myung had dedicated the most effort to. They couldn't be too close, yet they couldn't be too distant.
While it might seem right for those who are distant or have a bad relationship to fight together and narrow the psychological distance, Chung Myung wasn't foolish enough to ignore the reality that was right in front of him.
The important thing was to minimize sacrifices and defeat the Four Tyrants Alliance. Everything should be prepared for that sole purpose.
And then...
Just as Chung Myung's thoughts were deepening, Im Sobyeong spoke up.
"The important thing is that little bit of time."
"Yes."
"And... how the Four Tyrants Alliance will move now."
Jegal Jain nodded.
"Is there still no movement from the Four Tyrants Alliance?"
"The Beggars Union is keeping a close eye on them, but they haven't made any moves yet."
"Why on earth..."
Jegal Jain looked utterly puzzled. Something was definitely off. They had the upper hand completely. If they had pressed on, even the Heavenly Friendship Alliance would have struggled to respond. But by settling in the seemingly insignificant Hubei and dragging out the time, they had given them time to prepare.
"What kind of scheme are they plotting?"
"It seems logical to think so, but..."
Im Sobyeong couldn't easily nod. Every move by Jang Ilso had a meaning. But this time, even Im Sobyeong couldn't read the meaning behind this action.
So, there was no immediately apparent course of action...
"What do you think, military leader?"
Chung Myung's gaze remained fixed on the map spread out on the tea table. His eyes delved deep into it.
"A scheme..."
Chung Myung's head drooped.
"There's no hesitation or scheme."
"But he has..."
"He wasn't hesitating; he was aiming his blade. But now it's different. No matter how you look at it, it's meaningless."
"Hmm. Then what?"
Im Sobyeong's head began to ache with confusion.
Thud!
"Aaaargh!"
Im Sobyeong grabbed his head in pain and slumped backward.
"Why! Why did you hit me!"
"Tsk!"
Chung Myung twisted his face in annoyance and looked at Im Sobyeong.
"But even the bastard who's the senior sister of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance, if not the king of the Green Forest, is quivering!"
"Uh... yes?"
"That bastard is still just a person. They can't plan everything and make everything go their way."
Chung Myung narrowed his eyes.
In every war, there were variables. Sometimes big ones, sometimes small ones. And sometimes even seemingly insignificant variables could completely change the course of the battlefield.
"The situation is clear. He clearly encountered an unexpected variable."
"..."
"So what we need to do is clear."
Chung Myung's eyes gleamed with a deep blue light.
"Prevent the hesitating bastard from ever rising again."
Im Sobyeong held his breath for a moment.
And in that moment, Chung Myung's words pierced through his ears.
"We've defended enough. To a tiresome and horrific degree."
Thud!
Chung Myung's hand, his five fingers, tapped on the map. And then those fingers gathered and clenched the map.
"Now it's our turn."
"Military leader..."
"We attack."
A killing intent emanated from Chung Myung's eyes.
"Until his last breath... is completely snuffed out."
It was chilling.
And yet, it was a chilling voice.